Airman talks to mechanical birds, helps others complete missions in Iraq

Published April 5, 2011
By Senior Airman Andrew Lee
9th Air and Space Expeditionary Task Force - Iraq Public Affairs

ALI AIR BASE, Iraq -- When you do a job, you're taught to do it to the best of your ability and if you make a mistake you're at least credited for giving it your all. Not exactly the case for one deployed NCO whose job requires extreme attention to detail and failure is not an option.

Staff Sgt. Kristen Travo, 407th Expeditionary Operations Support Squadron air traffic controller, constantly directs the flow of aircraft taxiing on the flight line and flying in the airspace above Ali Air Base, Iraq.

On a daily basis, using complete attention to detail and great communication skills with the pilots, she quickly and precisely gives various aircraft and helicopters the guidance to land and maneuver on the flight line without a problem. Sergeant Travo and her team have the large responsibility of directing where the aircraft can and cannot go in short amount of time.

"You don't have much time to think," she said. "We have to make decisions accurately and swiftly because of the constant air flow, otherwise we're not doing our job."

Any mistake originating from inattention or miscommunication with the pilots, or her team members, could cause chaos on the flight line or in the air above. Missions would fail, government property would be damaged and, worst of all, lives would be jeopardized.

"If you have this job, you are always paying attention and you can't be distracted" said the Lompoc, Calif., native. "When you're working in the tower, your mission is to get all planes or helicopters in and out safely, otherwise you could be endangering lives and missions."

Not only would lives on the aircraft be at risk if something goes wrong, but Service members relying on that aircraft for support outside the wire would be jeopardized as well.

"Making sure we aren't holding any one up and delaying them is critical," Sergeant Travo said. "If we have medical evacuation aircraft trying to come in or out to save a life, and I have them delayed because we aren't doing our job correctly, we're risking a life that could be saved."

Along with saving lives, the five-year air traffic controller and her team help protect the base and any Airmen, Soldiers, Marines or Sailors outside the wire.

"We are the ones allowing aircraft to secure the perimeters of the base," said the Cabrillo High School graduate, Lompoc, Calif. "We also send out aircraft to locations that need air support."

The high operations tempo Sergeant Travo and her team work with is something they've grown accustomed to while working 8-hour shifts. The Ali AB tower team has directed more than 5,000 operations a month and they all know it's just going to keep increasing.

"With everyone repositioning units here while we transition control back to the Iraqi forces, the schedule we have now will look completely different to the one in the future," Sergeant Travo said. "The planes and helicopters are going to keep coming and coming."

Having foresight that the busy schedule is just going to get busier; the Hurlbert Field NCO has no problem accepting the role and takes it with a smile on her face.

"I love what I do," Sergeant Travo said. "Our job is to keep the sky safe and knowing that we're a helping hand in keeping people safe and saving lives, is a great feeling."